The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 379: what you’re looking at

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368 But when the Burker ventured to peep forth again from his hiding-place, not a human form was THE MYSTERIES OF THB OOURT. spring which welled forth from behind the rocky hill, into the bowels of which the cavern pene- to be seen: the dancers and the flageolet-player | trated. He coald not therefore shut himself up having lost this chance of being guided forth from that dreadful wilderness, the Barker hurled down his barricade and rashed out, in the hope of dis- tinguishing the forms of the fugitives, in whateo- ever direction they had taken. But he beheld them not ;—and throwing himself upon the ground, ! he beat his breast and tore his hair with mingled rage and disappointment. Heaven itself seomed to be warring against him. If he bebeld human beings in that jungle, it was first in the form of tra- vellers who were to be assassinated before his eyes -—then in the form of Stranglers seeking his own life—or in the shape of wandering Dervishes who would have no communion with him; and lastly, when there appeared to be every prospect of fall- ing in with friendly-disposed persons, the jungle vomited forth one of its most dreadful monsters to scare them away. No wonder that the wretched man should fling himeelf upon the ground, and lie writhing and convulsing there with a mental an- guish as terrible as if he were enduring the agonies of death! But after awhile the fury of his enraged disap- pointment abated; and he rose up from the ground. He now looked about him on the spot whence the itinerants had disappeared; and no trace of their recent presence did he behold, ex- cept a small box and a wicker basket close by the placo where the old snake-charmer had been had all vanished. Meddened and desperate tacle of the cobras which had filled him with so much horror, the Barker was struck aghast with the idea that those reptiles had doubtless uancoiled themselves and escaped amidst the thicket into which the old Hindoo was carried off by the tiger. In what frightful proximity therefore were these | peril serpents now to him and to his abiding-place! The tiger too might still be lurking there; and at any moment he himself might become the animal's victim. But eo desperate was his position that he became nerved as it were with a sullen moody recklessness; and gradually the idea crept into his mind that those cobras which: he had seen dancing must have been deprived of their venomed fangs expressly for those performances. The Burker proceeded to open the box, which he found to contain a quantity of provisions, chiefly cold boiled rice. The basket was empty; and he had no doubt it was a receptacle for the snakes which had belonged to the unfortunate old charmer. He conveyed the box of provisions to his cavern; and at the next meal that he made he consumed the last of the spirits which remained in the gourd. The sullen desperation of his mood having abated—or rather, we should say, given place to a returning carefulness for his life, he began to think of erecting his barricade once more, even though it were only the forenoon of the day, in order to guard against an attack on the part of the tiger. But how was it possible for him to re- main ehut up day and night within that cavern P No!—he felt that with such imprisonment he should go mad ; he therefore resolved upon running any risk rather than dooming himself to such a tomb.like immurement. Besides, every now and then he required to alake his thirst at the seated. Remembering now that hideous spec altogether in the cave itself ! Barker was standing on the top of the rocky hill, anxiously straining his eyes in the hope of dis- cerning some human form in the distance, be startled by a terrific rushing din on the ade grove of tall trees aboat two handred the unwieldiness of their bulky forms, they rushed on with remarkable speed, flourishing their trunks and sending forth the strangest sounds. This herd of wild elephants seemed to be making straight for the very hill upon which the Burker was posted. On they came, trampling down the long grass, the brakes, and the thickets, in the midst of which all the lower parte of their hage uncouth forms were buried; end at the Burker, galvanised into the sadden power of mo- tion from his transfixed state of horrible alerm, was preparing to fly. Bat all in a moment he be- held the herd of elephants halt: those which were foremost turned round—and they all seemed to commence an attack upon some enemy that was ia their midst. Full soon the Barker became aware what sort of an enemy this was; for the terrific howls of a tiger came pealing upon hisear. He looked on with indescribable suspense, where that strange and fearful scone was taking place. The elephants exhibited a rage and desperation which were only proportionnte with the enormoss il against which they were combating. The conflict however lasted not many micutes: for all of a sudden an object was whirled up into the air—and the Burker could distinguish the tiger as it thus for an instant tarned roand with ite lithe supple form, ere with a hideous yell it fell down again amidst its enemies. And now the Burker could see the elephante rash in upoa is; and by their movements he knew that they were trampling it under foot. For a few moments its howls lasted, full of mortal agony, and growing fainter and fainter until they ceased altogether. Then away sped the elephants,—the whole herd appearing to follow one that acted as ite leader. Through the wilds of the jungle went those un- wieldly brutes with an astonishing degree of speed, until the wood hid them from the Burker's view. He now began to breathe freely, as be sat down on the top of the rocky hill to rest after the ex- hausting effect which the tension of his feelings produced upon his physical being. But he began to reflect that he might have some reason to con- gratulate himself on the spectacle he had jast witnessed; for it was probably the tiger which had carricd off the snake-charmer, that had thus met its death amidst tho iofuriate elephants. At all events there was one wild beast the less in the Visinity of the cavern; and such a circumstance was a subject for self-felicitation on the part of the Burker. He remained for some while seated COMIC DOG (CO